The present invention relates to transporting apparatus in general, and more particularly to improvements in apparatus for transporting discrete commodities along a first path, from the first path into a second path, and along the second path. Typical examples of commodities which can or which must be transported in an apparatus of the type to which the apparatus of the present invention belongs are block-shaped objects such as packets containing plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry and/or so-called cartons which contain predetermined numbers of packets.
It is already known to transport cartons of cigarette packets along a first path having an outlet which is inclined relative to the inlet of a second path. The second path is defined by or is adjacent a transporting unit having a series of discrete receptacles each of which can receive at the outlet of the first path at least one carton for advancement along the second path, e.g., to a station where sets of cartons are introduced into discrete boxes or to a station where the cartons are draped into envelopes of paper or other suitable wrapping material. Each receptacle comprises at least two spaced-apart carton-engaging elements at least one of which is movable toward and away from the other engaging element, namely between a position in which a carton can readily enter into or leave the receptacle and a position in which the carton is reliably held in the receptacle for the purpose of advancing along the second path.
Conventional apparatus of the just outlined character are often employed in apparatus wherein cigarette packets, cartons of cigarette packets or other block-shaped commodities must be supplied to, transferred at and advanced from a transfer station with a high degree of accuracy and predictability. For example, the first conveyor which supplies block-shaped commodities to the transfer station can constitute an indexible turret, and the second conveyor which receives successive commodities of a series of successive commodities from the turret can include or constitute an endless belt, band or chain conveyor. The latter can be provided with a set of equidistant receptacles in the form of pockets destined to accept and to transport discrete commodities each of which can constitute a carton confining a number of properly distributed or arrayed cigarette packets or the like.
Published German patent applications Serial Nos. 43 00 149 A1 and 195 32 092 A1 disclose transporting apparatus of the above outlined character. The receptacles of the second conveyor are provided with pairs of mobile jaws which are shiftable by disc cams and/or other types of cams in order to ensure that a receptacle can receive a commodity while it advances along the inlet of the second path and that such receptacle can thereupon retain the commodity in a desired position during advancement along and toward the outlet of the second path. The movements of the jaws must take place with a rather high degree of accuracy for a number of reasons, namely to ensure predictable entry of successively delivered commodities into the receptacles or pockets of the second conveyor (i.e., an entry which does not entail damage to--such as deformation of--the commodities), to ensure the advancement of commodities with the respective receptacles in optimum positions for predictable evacuation, and to ensure predictable and rapid transfer of commodities from their receptacles upon arrival at the outlet of the second path. Furthermore, successive commodities should not collide with each other and they should not jam the transfer station between the outlet of the first conveyor (such as the aforementioned turret) and the inlet of the second conveyor.
A drawback of the apparatus which are disclosed in the aforementioned published German patent applications is that the controls for the mobile jaws of the receptacles are very complex, expensive and prone to malfunction. Furthermore, such complex controls necessitate frequent inspection, adjustments, cleaning and/or other time-consuming maintenance work during which the apparatus, or an entire production line employing such transporting apparatus, is idle with attendant huge losses in output. Moreover, the controls take up substantial amounts of space which is at a premium in a modern cigarette making and/or processing (such as packing) plant.